She leaves May 4 and will be performing with the Jonalee White Band. Pauken-Steinbrook is a professional musician who also plays in local bands McGuffey Lane, Sirens and the Ladies of Longford. With the Jonalee White Band, she will be playing at 17 military locations in 22 days.

Her daughter, Ryan Steinbrook, a fourth-grader at Cassingham Elementary, will document the trip and report to classmates on the country music band's whereabouts.

Steinbrook said she plans to communicate with her mother via Web camera and international cell phone. Her mom will send daily pictures for a journal about the trip.

The trip is a mini-geography lesson for her class, Steinbrook said. Her teacher, Suzy Levine, will help students follow the band on a map. Students are writing letters that will be delivered to service members.

Although mother and daughter will be in contact daily, Steinbrook said she will miss her mom.

"I'm really going to miss her," she said. "I'm completely proud of what she does."

Cassingham holds an assembly every other week, and Steinbrook is hoping to present some slideshows at those events.

"I wanted my family involved," Pauken-Steinbrook said. "Ryan is school-age. This information is so pertinent."

Pauken-Steinbrook said her daughter's class plans to download Skype onto a computer so students can make telephone calls over the Internet.

"I can call into the class and talk to the kids, show them where we are on the map," she said.

Pauken-Steinbrook has been playing bass guitar and writing music for the Jonalee White Band, which is based out of Cincinnati and Nashville, for three years. There are several other Columbus musicians going on the trip.

In addition to playing with the Jonalee White Band, Pauken has played for McGuffey Lane for 17 years.

Her father, Ray Pauken, plays with the Bexley Jam Band.

Pauken-Steinbrook said she had reservations about being away from her family for three weeks. Her father, once a member of the Coast Guard, helped change her mind when he said, "You will not believe how much this will mean to them."

The service members are far away from home and often scared, Pauken-Steinbrook said. The tour is a chance to bring them some music from home, which can be comforting, she said.

Armed Forces Entertainment and the U.S. Department of Defense have organized the tour. The organizations oversee 1,200 shows at 270 military stations each year.

Pauken-Steinbrook had to pass an anti-terrorism test to go to Egypt and called the experience "eye opening." The test teaches travelers not to make themselves a target for terrorists and what to do if held hostage.

"The test was really insightful," she said.

All of her luggage has to be weighed. Bags can't be more than 50 pounds and the musicians have to go through customs in every country. But Pauken-Steinbrook said that considering what she will be doing for service members, the inconveniences are worth it.

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